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Copper was discovered in the area in 1872 (another source says 1887) and the last major operation ended in 1896. It was worked sporadically from then until 1960.
In 2004 the mine was re-opened by Straits Resources.
At its peak there were about 400 people living in the town with 130 working directly for the mine. There were originally two hotels, a blacksmith, stables and even a racetrack.
The original name was Whim Well Copper Mine. Today the Whim Creek Hotel is once again the focal point for miners who work in the area. Not long ago the fuel pumps
were removed so don't count on topping up here. (There is word - 2006 - that the fuel pumps will be replaced but as yet we don\t know when this will be but as of May
2007 there is still no sign of them returning.)
The hotel dates from 1898 and has a friendly country feel to it.
Rainfall in this area can vary widely. On April 3rd 1898 a whopping 747mm fell in just 24 hours. In 1924 there was just 4mm for the whole year!
Across the highway is the track to Balla Balla - that used to be a popular camping spot on the coast. Balla Balla was once a town site and was gazetted in 1898.
The name is derived from the Aboriginal word 'parla' which means mud. Balla Balla probably means lots of mud and if you go there you will find it is very appropriate.
The Whim Creek Hotel suffered a direct hit from a cyclone a while ago and the roof was completely torn away but the owners decided to restore the pub and now everything
is back to normal.
There is a small graveyard (that is gradually being restored) at Whim Creek and among the graves is one of Thomas Henry Darlington who was stabbed to death by
Frenchman, Joseph Saleno in 1911 during a drunken brawl.
Saleno was arrested and sent to Roebourne Gaol and witnesses to the murder were sent by ship to Perth to give evidence.
The ships never arrived as they foundered near Depuch Island when a cyclone came roaring in. After all the carnage he had been responsible for Saleno only received a
3 year sentence.
There are 23 other people known to have been buried at the Whim Creek cemetery.
Whim Creek Hotel is a popular stopping point for travellers and is the only remaining evidence of the once thriving town known as Whim Well. In its heyday, the town had
several pubs, a Post Office, Bakery, Police Station and a population of 400, 130 of whom worked in the town's copper mine - once the biggest in the North West. In
earlier years the ore was carried 20km to the small port of Balla Balla on a railway line. Sails were attached to the loaded rail wagons, in order to use the trade winds
that blow during much of the year. The jetty at Balla Balla was used until the decline of the copper mine in the 1930's and was finally blown away by a cyclone in 1956.
There used to be a second pub operated by John and Carla Dunn. It operated from 1898 to 1910 when it burned down and the Dunn family moved to Tammin to take up farming.
It was about this time that Lester Davis was employed to educate the children of Whim Creek. Trips down to the coast at Balla Balla were a frequent occurrence and Lester
used to catch fish by lighting a plug of gelignite and throwing it into the water (this was a fairly common practise at the time). One one occasion something went wrong and
the gelignite exploded before Lester had thrown it resulting in the loss of both his hands. He then had to endure the 15 mile trip back to Whim Creek and then a further 52
miles by car to reach Roebourne where he was attended to by the local doctor. Against all the odds he did survive and eventually returned home to England.
Tall Tales and true: The world's most expensive Christmas tree?
The Whim Creek Christmas tree was once a structure some two metres high and one metre wide. It was constructed from the rip-top tabs of beer stubbies and was said to be
the most expensive Christmas tree ever created. It was estimated that it took $25,000 worth of stubbies to make the tree and it took two years to collect all the tabs.
Other oddities of local history include an alcoholic camel that used to steal patrons beer. The camel was apparently moved south to Wiluna suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.
There was also a large python that used to live in the wooden rafters of the pub. Its eventual fate is unknown.
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